Oprah Winfrey Names Herself New CEO Of OWN

The New York Times is reporting that Oprah Winfrey has given herself a promotion. On the heels of the dismissal of former OWN CEO Christina Norman back in May of 2011, the queen of television has announced that she will take over as CEO and chief creative officer. While the details surrounding Ms. Norman’s dismissal remain sketchy, reports indicate that ratings under her watch came in “below” expectations.

Discovery Communications has said the change reflects, “a transition from a launch phase to a more long-term focus on business and creative strategy, development and execution following the network’s debut”.

The change in leadership marks the third since the network launched. Peter Ligouri, COO of Discovery Communications, took the helm after Ms. Norman stepped down. For Oprah’s part, she told Entertainment Weekly that she blames the low ratings on her mistake of spreading herself too thin between the ending of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the airing of the Oprah Winfrey Network.